Love is Innocent
by T.C. Devlin
Summary: Yuki and Tohru meet as children in an orphanage, abandoned and broke...10 years later, when Yuki's trust fund kicks in, he realizes that money isn't what he ever wanted... She was all he needed, but is it too late to tell her that? R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

_**D**_**_isclaimer: I Don't Own Fruits Basket... but $20 and a cookie could change that..._**

_**"They were orphans, deemed unworthy of love. That was the way he always saw it. But she didn't believe that, and when he fell in love with her, he realized that didn't believe it either."**_

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A gray door opened into a room, bunk beds lined the walls in neutral gray tones, chrome bars and cold, uninviting sheets. The walls were a plastered gray, and the room dripped with, well, nothing. No emotions, no feelings, no love. It was barely there, and the small silver haired boy standing in the doorway was sure that at any moment, if he just closed his eyes, the darkness beneath his eyelids would be more colorful than this room; and maybe, just maybe, if he closed his eyes hard enough, the room would just fade away.

The nurse behind Yuki gently pushed him deeper into the room. It had windows, he noticed. Two long stretched ones that let in light; but not the light Yuki was used too. It wasn't a soft gold, and it wasn't warm or comforting--it was clear. A clear light, only made visible by the dust particles that it held, clear and cold, made stale by its dead surroundings. There was a shadow in the light; a small girl, sitting in the corner where the sun rested over her chocolate brown curls as she played with a doll.

Yuki walked over to her and sat down directly across from her. She lifted her head and her deep cerulean eyes met his amethyst ones, and in that instant, she trusted him. She smiled warmly at him and he looked down at his shoes, unsure how to respond to the gesture. The girl's smile melted into a frown and she cocked her head to the side, ready to break their silence for the first time.

"What's wrong?"

Yuki's cheeks turned a bright pink and he brought his eyes up to meet hers for a brief second before returning them to the floor. At six years old, advanced as he was academically, socializing was not his forte. The young girl, frustrated that her new playmate wouldn't answer; climbed over herself and crooned her head, so that even hiding under his long eyelashes and silver bangs, he was forced to meet her eyes. She noticed the heat in his cheeks and the fear in his eyes; and even as young as she was, she understood his feelings. The girl held his eyes and smiled gently, smaller than before, and tried again to break the silence.

"What's your name?"

Yuki felt the instinctive need to look at the floor, but something in her eyes wouldn't let him look away. He took a deep, shaky breath, and when he opened his mouth to speak, she had to lean closer to hear the whisper that escaped his lips.

"Yuki Sohma," The girl's eyes lit up and she smiled a little wider when he finally responded. She sat up straight and Yuki held her eye contact.

"I'm Tohru Honda," she squeaked in a high pitched voice so full of life that it captivated Yuki to hear it. He nodded and left her eyes to search the room once more. The older nurse that had showed him the room had left, seeing that he had made a friend. Yuki thought about that for a second, _a friend, _he had never had a friend before; his parents had never allowed it. He looked back to Tohru who was watching him curiously, wondering what he was looking for all of a sudden. Suddenly, Yuki realized what he was looking for; something he would never find.

"Honda-san," he asked shyly, unsure of the answer he wanted to hear, "where are we?"

Tohru blinked and raised a delicate eyebrow, "The boarding rooms?"

Yuki shook his head and pursed his lips together, trying to find the right words to express his question. "_Why_ are we here?"

Tohru looked down at her hands and began to fiddle with them uncomfortably. She thought for a moment and decided to answer his question with one of her own. "Do you still have your mommy and daddy?"

Yuki understood, even as young as he was, that he had been disowned. Given up by his parents for their own sick benefit. He knew that technically he still had his parents, they were alive, but he doubted he'd ever see them again, this was his home now. He fumbled around for the words to answer his new friend, "No, they left me here."

It was true enough, they didn't drive him there, but they sold him, and when Akito became too sick and got rid of him, they didn't want him anymore. So his brother, too young to take care of him, had called the orphanage and had him brought here. Yuki looked at his new friend and struggled with the burning question he had for her; he didn't think that she would want to answer it, but he knew she would anyways. Yuki watched Tohru play with her hands and he whispered softly, "Do you still have your mommy and daddy?"

Tohru kept her eyes on her hands for a moment, not entirely sure how to answer. She decided to tell Yuki her story, and she lifted her head so that her curls framed her face and her blue eyes changed emotions as she spoke, "My daddy got sick a long time ago, he used to cough all the time and one day when I woke up, Mommy said that Daddy couldn't fight it anymore and that he was going to sleep for a long time. Mommy got sick later, she had to go to the hospital and she told me that we'd see each other again someday, but I had to go away for right now; then my grandpa brought me here."

Yuki listened to her story and marveled at Tohru's ability to be happy, even when she had been through so much. He understood now, they were orphans, deemed unworthy of love by a higher power. They had nothing, except each other, and they had all the time in the world to realize it. He brought his eyes up to meet hers and felt a bond, a feeling of trust that children so innocently give. She gave him attention and company that he had been denied before, and with the hope that she would always be there for him, Yuki decided that he liked this new place.

He smiled at his new friend, a smile that he hadn't given anyone before, because he had never been open enough to give it. Tohru noticed his smile and returned it with a beam of her own, ecstatic to have made a new friend. She stood up and Yuki followed suit. He was taller than her, she noticed, and they walked over to one of the bunk beds set up against the gray walls. They sat down on a bed and talked aimlessly about dolls, which Yuki insisted were only for girls, and their favorite ice cream; strawberry for Tohru, and vanilla for Yuki. They spoke until the nurse returned and told them that it was time for bed. They got ready and hopped into beds parallel to each other, giggling about secrets before the nurse turned out the lights.

Tohru beamed as she recalled the time she had spent with Yuki earlier that day, she liked him. Not like liked him, boys had cooties after all, but Tohru wanted to keep him as a friend forever, and unknown to her, Yuki was thinking the same thing, not 10 feet away from her.

She turned on her side and curled her body under the covers. Looking at Yuki, she smiled one last time, "Goodnight Sohma-san."

Yuki, exhausted from the long day, turned to face Tohru, a soft smile still playing on his face and yawned, "Goodnight Honda-san."

And with that, the two drifted off to sleep, with dreams so colorful and bright they made they rivaled the sun, awaiting the laughter they expected to come the next day.

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Thanks sooo much for reading!!!! I really hope you liked it. Next chapter takes place 10 years later, they'll be sixteen and thats how the story will continue... so please keep reading, at least through chapter 2.

If you liked it, you should check out my other story: Nothing Else Ever Mattered.

Comments, Questions, Suggestions, and Ideas are appriciated!!!! Flames will be used to roast marshmallows.

review please!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Fruits Basket... but my imagination is completely jealous_**

**_(A/N) Hey guys!! I'm soooooo sorry for the wait but Chapter 2 is finally here!!! Yuki and Tohru are 16 now... they've grown up in the orphanage and attend high school together, they still live in the orphanage because they're minors, but have very loose rules._**

**_Enjoy!_**

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_10 years later..._

Tohru opened her bright blue eyes and stretched, twisting herself around the bed and tangling herself in her sheets. She turned her head to the side and looked across the isle to the bed next to her. Silver hair was draped over amethyst eyes that were starting to blink, barely open; reacquainting themselves with the light.

She smiled and whispered, "Good morning Sohma-san!"

Yuki sighed and moved to rub his eyes, brushing away his bangs. He smiled across at Tohru and gave himself a moment to take in his surroundings. Waking up was hard for him, but for Tohru's sake, he tried. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, being careful not to hit his head on the bar at the bottom of the second bunk.

In his case especially, grace and a sense of balance couldn't be expected before noon.

He let out a sigh, waking up at this ungodly hour was ridiculous, but he grimaced at the girl in the bed across from him and cleared his voice, trying to make it sound coherent, "Good morning Honda-san." Unbeknown to Yuki, his voice didn't come out coherent... It was silky and warm, and when he spoke to Tohru, her entire world stood still.

He however, was suffering from an infatuation of his own. He blushed when he noticed how perfect she looked after she had just woken up. Her childish tight brown ringlets had fallen into long, wavy, chestnut locks; but her smile was the same ivory white, matching her eyes for sparkle and shine.

Yuki stood up and went to go brush his teeth and get ready for school, but Tohru stayed curled up in bed. She hated the first brush of cold that you felt when you got out of bed, it took away that last dream sensation, that last feeling that you were in a fantasy, untouched by imperfections in the world. Dreams consisted of just you, exploring the depth of your imagination, and Tohru loved that. She loved the concept of dreaming without boundaries, but right now, school was the boundary that was keeping her from falling back to sleep. With one last snuggle against her sheets, she threw them off and stood up, scared that if she didn't force herself to get up now, she'd never leave the comfort of her bed.

After getting ready and changing into her uniform, she walked down the street to her high school, where she had to try to fit in with everyone else. All of those kids whose lives were normal; they had parents, homes... lives.

Not Tohru.

She walked to school _alone_, and after school, she walked back to the orphanage to struggle with her homework. Usually until Sohma-san came back to find her struggling tremendously. He'd help her out of the kindness of his heart, and she'd feel guilty for forcing him to spend so much time with her. Especially since they weren't really friends at school; they lived in different worlds. She was shy and, in her opinion, average looking; while popular people at her school were outgoing and gorgeous.

Then there was Yuki. He walked to school with a posse of boys and girls who worshiped him, and he usually got a ride home with them after his student council meetings. Then he met up with Honda-san and helped her with her homework, and then he went to sleep. He was _very_ popular at Kabraira High School, and while he had no idea why, Tohru did.

He was gorgeous of course, that the crown rule for Kabraira teen royalty. But he wasn't the typical outgoing, cocky guy that strutted around the school with the popular crowd. He was mysterious, almost cold, and that blatant rejection made people want him that much more. He was untouchable, and that put him on a pedestal, high above everyone else.

_But, _Tohru mused, _he isn't that way all the time_.

When he and Tohru were alone together, he was a completely different person. He was kind, sweet, compassionate, and patient... especially with Tohru and her schoolwork. He talked with her and shared his thoughts, his memories, and during those long afternoons, they were the best of friends. But at school he had a reputation... as a god... and he and Tohru didn't float in the same circle. Partially because he _had _a circle and she didn't; and partially because he was afraid to loose his reputation.

At school, she was his inferior, to the point where, even after growing up side by side for 10 years, she couldn't say hi to him in the halls. It wasn't worth the embarrassment, even though she knew he would be ridiculously polite to her if she did. Tohru didn't want to make him feel awkward by forcing him to talk to her, and even if she wanted to say hi, she could never muster up the courage to do something like that.

Tohru realized that she had come to the end of her long walk as she turned the corner and came to the front gates of Kabraira High School. She turned when she heard a loud thundering coming from behind her. Out of the dust that had been kicked up, Tohru saw a motorcycle coming to a stop in a space that she wasn't quite sure was meant for parking. The rider took off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair. Tohru felt her jaw drop; he was... beyond attractive. He was tall and lean; muscular with jet black hair and icy blue eyes.

He slung a backpack over his shoulder and tried to brush his bangs out of his face before he walked into school. Tohru's gaze followed him in and for a moment she couldn't remember how to use her feet as she tried to walk in after him. She couldn't help but stare as he made his way to the front office, already walking around like he owned the place. But she wasn't the only one that noticed.

Yuki sat with a group of friends on the school's terrace, chatting nonchalantly before they had to go to class, when suddenly, he noticed that nearly every gaze in the school had been redirected to something he couldn't see. He leaned around one of the girls near him and tried to follow her gaze, which landed on the object of the entire student body's fixation.

He also happened to see a familiar brunette trailing a few yards behind the new star, and he saw the way she looked at him. With such an unwarranted admiration and longing, and in that moment, a pang of emotion ran through Yuki. An emotion he wasn't quite familiar with, and one that he didn't particularly like... but it did lead him to one rather quick conclusion.

He took one more look at the boy that had captured everyone's attention and decided; he hated him.

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**(A/N) That was it! A little longer than before... I really hope you guys liked it!!!! PLEASE REVIEW!! They feed my muse (ego) and make the updates come faster... so please review!!! **3


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